Questions About FLR-M

Hello.  I am in the process of preparing my FLR-M and have a few questions.  My husband and I both work and both meet/exceed the financial requirement individually.  I read on here that in this case, it is easier to just use his employment to meet the financial requirement.  When filling in the form, do I just ignore the column for my information even though I have a job?  He has had this job, and exceeded the financial requirement, for my entire time here.  With original pay stubs and bank statements, does he also still need a letter from his employer (I ask because I don't see that listed on the document checklist, but people mention it on here)?  Do we need the pay stubs and bank statements for 6 months or longer?

May I use my P-60s as my mail to prove address?

My husband has a son who is not my son and is a British citizen.  I noticed that someone mentioned they were sending their sponsor's child's birth certificate.  Is this a requirement?

The website is so disjointed, so I apologise for asking questions that seem obvious.  Neither on the paper application or the online sign-in does it mention paying the fee for National Insurance, but I think that is something I do need to pay.  Is that correct?  Do I pay that before sending in application and then send the receipt? 

And lastly, I just want to confirm, I came here in December 2014 on spouse visa, which I applied for outside of UK.  This is now my first application to extend from inside the UK.  I see many people mention sending to Sheffield, but the application I have printed says to send to Durham.  Is that correct? 

Thank you in advance for the help!

I read on here that in this case, it is easier to just use his employment to meet the financial requirement.

Doesn't have to be his income specifically - it's just that if one of your incomes on its own meets the £18,600, it's easier to just use that income and not mention/provide evidence of the other one. So, it could be either your income or his income that you use, depending on how much you each earn individually.

You only really need to use both incomes if neither of you earn £18,600 on your own and you have no choice but to combine them to meet the requirement.

When filling in the form, do I just ignore the column for my information even though I have a job?  He has had this job, and exceeded the financial requirement, for my entire time here. 

It's up to you - you can either leave it blank, or fill in your employer details but make a note that you are not using the income to meet the requirement.

With original pay stubs and bank statements, does he also still need a letter from his employer (I ask because I don't see that listed on the document checklist, but people mention it on here)?  Do we need the pay stubs and bank statements for 6 months or longer?

Yes, he needs all the same documents again, as the visa has the same requirements. It's not mentioned specifically on the FLR(M) form, but it is in the Appendix FM 1.7 Financial Requirements document.

You'll need:
- 6 months of his original payslips showing a minimum of £1,550 before tax on each one
- 6 months of his original bank statements showing the deposit of every single payslip
- letter from his employer stating:
i) employment and current salary
ii) length of employment
iii) length of time earning current salary
iv) type of employment

Optional but recommended:
- his original job contract
- his latest P60

May I use my P-60s as my mail to prove address?

Not sure - it doesn't say so either way in the guidance, but it's official mail, so it may be okay.

My husband has a son who is not my son and is a British citizen.  I noticed that someone mentioned they were sending their sponsor's child's birth certificate.  Is this a requirement?

Yes, if he is under 18, it is a requirement to list him on the form and to send his birth certificate.

The website is so disjointed, so I apologise for asking questions that seem obvious.  Neither on the paper application or the online sign-in does it mention paying the fee for National Insurance, but I think that is something I do need to pay.  Is that correct?  Do I pay that before sending in application and then send the receipt? 

It's not for National Insurance (that comes out of your payslips automatically), it's for the IHS surcharge to give NHS access.

You do need to pay it (unless your spouse is in the Armed Forces), and it can be done here:
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/pay

It will be £500 for an FLR(M) application (£200 x 2.5 years)

This is now my first application to extend from inside the UK.  I see many people mention sending to Sheffield, but the application I have printed says to send to Durham.  Is that correct? 

Yes, that's correct - Sheffield do not process FLR(M) visas.

Thank you for your quick reply.    I may have misunderstood or misinterpreted a previous thread that I read.  It may just be easier for me to use my own employment as I meet the financial requirement and have done so for longer than 6 months.  Is there any reason that I should use his job over mine for the application?  I only ask as it will be easier and quicker for me to get my own information.  In which case, I could provide my own pay stubs, my original employment contract, and get a letter from my HR department, and I would not need to provide his work information at all.  Is that correct?  Or as my sponsor, do I need to provide his rather than mine if we just use one? 

Do I pay the application fee and the IHS fee beforehand and the Biometrics fee once they send me a letter, or do I also pay the biometrics before submitting? 

Thank you again!

Is there any reason that I should use his job over mine for the application?

Nope, no reason at all. If it's easier to use yours, then use yours.

It sounds like he hasn't been at his job/earning £18,600 for 6 months yet? If so, that would make things a bit more complicated for the application (different category)... so I'd go with your income instead.

In which case, I could provide my own pay stubs, my original employment contract, and get a letter from my HR department, and I would not need to provide his work information at all.  Is that correct?  Or as my sponsor, do I need to provide his rather than mine if we just use one? 

No, you just provide your information and ignore his.

As you are both in the UK with the right to work, it doesn't matter which income you use - he could be unemployed and it wouldn't matter.

It's only for the initial fiance/spousal visa that you MUST use his income, because yours cannot be considered until you are living in the UK with the right to work.

Do I pay the application fee and the IHS fee beforehand and the Biometrics fee once they send me a letter, or do I also pay the biometrics before submitting? 

If you are applying by post, after you have mailed your application and documents, you will be sent a letter in the mail inviting you to attend a biometrics appointment at a Post Office. You then go to the Post Office and pay for the biometrics there.

If you apply in person, biometrics is included in the fee, so you give biometrics at the appointment.

I received my FLR(M) at the beginning of May.  We used my husband's income.  In the column for my employment, where it asked if I was employed, I wrote "Yes- not using to meet financial requirement" and that was fine.  I did include the name and contact details of my employer but probably did not need to.  Like ksand said, it's just easier to use one income if you qualify that way.

I received my FLR(M) at the beginning of May.  We used my husband's income.  In the column for my employment, where it asked if I was employed, I wrote "Yes- not using to meet financial requirement" and that was fine.  I did include the name and contact details of my employer but probably did not need to.  Like ksand said, it's just easier to use one income if you qualify that way.

I just applied in February and I make enough but hadn't been working at my current job long enough so we used my husband's income. I didn't write anything at all in my column, got my FLR just before Easter.

I just applied in February and I make enough but hadn't been working at my current job long enough so we used my husband's income. I didn't write anything at all in my column, got my FLR just before Easter.

As you can see, Texgirl, either way is fine so long as you include the details of the  income on which you are applying. Listing the other partner's job details is entirely up to you.